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Adverse clearings in a monetary system with multiple note issuers: the case of Italy (1861-1893)

Author

Listed:
  • Giuseppina Gianfreda

    (Università della Tuscia, Via San Carlo 32, 01100, Viterbo, Italy)

  • Fabrizio Mattesini

    (Università di Roma "Tor Vergata", Via Columbia 2, 00133, Rome, Italy)

Abstract

We study the regime of multiple note issuers that characterized the Italian monetary system from the unification of Italy in 1861 to the creation of the Bank of Italy in 1893. We describe how the system evolved and we analyze how it functioned by studying the clearing of notes among banks. Since by law banknotes had to be redeemed at par, we focus on the ability of banks to keep notes in circulation before redemption. We estimate adverse clearings of notes issued by the dominant bank [Banca Nazionale degli Stati Sardi (BNS)] in the provinces where this bank had branches and we find that the entry of a smaller issuer limited the BNS’s capacity to keep its notes in circulation at the local level. We take this as evidence that competition in note issuance worked as an effective discipline device. Our results are consistent with the analysis of Pareto (Journal des économistes 3–28, 1893) who maintained that the fall of the Italian system was not due to the failure of the competitive mechanism, but rather to the altering of the rules of the game by the government.

Suggested Citation

  • Giuseppina Gianfreda & Fabrizio Mattesini, 2015. "Adverse clearings in a monetary system with multiple note issuers: the case of Italy (1861-1893)," Cliometrica, Journal of Historical Economics and Econometric History, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC), vol. 9(1), pages 1-25, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:afc:cliome:v:9:y:2015:i:1:p:1-25
    DOI: 10.1007/s11698-014-0106-x
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Chaido Dritsaki & Melina Dritsaki, 2020. "The Long-run Money Demand Function: Empirical Evidence from Italy," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 10(1), pages 186-195.
    2. Emanuele Felice, 2019. "Rethinking the take-off: the role of services in the new economic history of Italy (1861–1951)," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 13(3), pages 405-442, September.
    3. Vittorio Daniele & Pasquale Foresti & Oreste Napolitano, 2017. "The stability of money demand in the long-run: Italy 1861–2011," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 11(2), pages 217-244, May.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Adverse clearings; Par redemption; Competing monies;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E42 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Monetary Sytsems; Standards; Regimes; Government and the Monetary System
    • N13 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • C33 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models

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